


Beach Trip

by littlegaybibi (tinyginger)



Series: Immortal Family [3]
Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Day At The Beach, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Football | Soccer, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani and Nicky | Nicolò di Genova are in Love, M/M, Mentioned Booker | Sebastien le Livre, Nile Freeman Needs a Hug, Post-Canon, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:16:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29918172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyginger/pseuds/littlegaybibi
Summary: A day at the beach for some family bonding gives Nile a bit more insight into her new family's past.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: Immortal Family [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107674
Comments: 2
Kudos: 72





	Beach Trip

Nile had not been expecting the beach trip. Going to the beach was not something she would think three immortals would want to do. It didn’t seem exciting or private enough for the secretive hired gun family she’d been adopted into. But that morning she woke up to an excited yet calm Joe knocking gently on her door to wake her up. With him, he carried a fresh mug of coffee made just the way she liked it and a gift bag. He was wearing swim trunks and a tank top, not unusual for the hot weather but the swim trunks instead of shorts threw her off. 

He set the coffee on her nightstand and placed the bag next to it. The whole time he hummed softly, gently pulling her from her slumber. It was a nice way to wake up.

Finally when she was awake enough to grab the coffee and take a sip, Joe’s soft voice roused her a bit more, “We’re going to the beach after breakfast, if you’d like to come?”

At her nod Joe continued, motioning to the bag, “That's for you. Nicky and Andy found it for you when they went out yesterday. I helped pick the colors. Take your time getting ready, I’ll save you some food.”

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. He simply gave her a smile and left her room. 

As she sipped her coffee she stared at the gift bag. She had still not gotten used to the others presenting her with gifts. They were constantly surprising her with a gift bag full of things she didn’t know she needed or even wanted for that matter, but she loved. Sometimes there’d be an item of clothing folded at the end of her bed with a note from one of them simply saying “thought you’d like this”. If she mentioned missing something from home, seeing something in a store or online, or even just casually thinking out loud about how she needed to get something soon the item or a similar one would be in her hands the next day. 

By the time she had drunk half her coffee, Nile was digging into the bag and pulling out a bathing suit that she knew was just her size. It was beautiful, almost too beautiful to be worn to the beach. It was dark, black or a dark navy color, with leaves blending from blue to green to purple on it. Under the bikini was another bathing suit of the same pattern. This one though was a one piece with a plunging v-neck. Under that was a black bikini, the top looked to be a wrapped fabric design, and the bottoms had ties on either side of the hips. It was simpler than the others but still beautiful.

Under the three bathing suits were some new sunglasses that she knew for a fact cost more than her mother’s car insurance. There was also a pair of new sandals that cost probably twice as much as the sunglasses.

As she took them all out to decide what to wear, she found a note written in hesitant English.

_ We can  _ ~~_cambio_ _change_~~ _ exchange this for a different ones if these does not suit you ~ Nicky _

She smiled at the note and put it with the others. She now had a stack of notes from Nicky, written in English. He had confessed to her that while he could get by with English it was one language he struggled with. He’d been making an effort to speak in English more. She still didn’t quite understand why everyone else seemed so much more fluent in English than Nicky, but she didn’t bring it up… yet.

After doing her morning routine and waking up a bit more, she headed back to her room and tried on her gifts. The bathing suits fit her perfectly. She loved all of them and took care to store the ones she wasn’t wearing for another time. She slipped on a pair of shorts Andy had helped her find the other day over the bikini bottoms and slipped her new sandals on. She contemplated putting a shirt over the top but it was already hot in her room, and the beautiful leaves on her top needed to be seen. The last touch was to put the sunglasses in her head. She felt amazing. 

The others were outside, eating breakfast on the porch when she found them. Andy and Joe were laughing about something and Nicky looked amused. There was something so… domestic? normal? about seeing the three immortals wearing bathing suits and laughing. 

Andy was healing, her wound no longer worrying, just an angry looking scar. Nicky and Joe seemed better too, though she wasn’t sure what exactly they had been dealing with after being tortured in the lab. They hadn’t spoken of it much but she could see how badly it affected all of them. The days following leaving Booker on the shore, Nile had watched her new family constantly. Though she had nothing to go off of other than the first night she had with them where they told her about Quynh, she ran away, then Nicky and Joe were abducted, she could tell something wasn’t right. Now though, she could tell they were settling or at least getting back to somewhat normal. 

“Thank you,” Nile said as a greeting. “I love everything.”

Andy smiled warmly, “Good.” 

“Joe has some hats for you to pick from, if you’d like,” Nicky added. 

Joe nodded, confirming what his husband said and Nile didn’t know what to say. From the moment she joined them they were constantly gifting her with different things. Sometimes it was a bit overwhelming. 

“We’ll probably head to the beach in a bit,” Andy said. “You joining?” 

Nile nodded, “Yeah! I’d love to!” 

She ate her breakfast quickly, feeling like a child excited about going to an amusement park. The others seemed to notice her haste and excitement and finished up their meals quickly as well. To them she was a child so her childlike excitement wasn’t too far off. 

Getting to the beach didn’t take long. Joe filled their journey with stories while Andy and Nicky told her facts about the island. She loved the stories and the facts but she was distracted by how different they all looked from when she first met them. 

Andy was wearing a black bikini, similar to the one she had tucked away in her room. On top of that was shorts and a billowing button up that looked to belong to either Nicky or Joe, maybe even Booker. Her sunglasses were similar to the ones she wore the day they met, possibly the same ones. There was just something about the way she looked so… normal, like she was born only forty years ago. 

Joe was another story, he always somehow looked stylish and modern. His hair and beard were timeless and he was unmistakably beautiful. He was wearing the same tank top and swim trunks she saw him in that morning. Though now, he had sunglasses and a backwards cap. He looked like a lot of men she served with and could easily have been born thirty years ago rather than over nine centuries.

Nicky confused her. He was married to a stylish man, owned stylish clothes, and was beautiful himself. They all were. But when they met he was in simple clothes that looked like he found at a Walmart. Which wasn’t bad, she grew up in clothes from Walmart, you could make some cute outfits with Walmart clothes. But next to Joe, his husband, it confused her. Right now though, he looked like a model, if she was being honest. His hair was a bit longer, his swim trunks were short and looked to be name brand and right off a runway. His shirt was oversized in just the right way, flowing open as he walked with only two buttons done up. His sunglasses looked like hers, expensive and dark. The hat he wore didn’t quite match the look but she watched as Joe forced the cap onto his husband’s head and said something forceful yet teasing to the man. 

“Nile,” Joe’s teasing voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Am I going to have to worry about you trying to steal my Nicolo?” 

“What? No!” Even though she knew he was teasing she didn’t want to offend any of them, especially when they’ve been so kind to her. “Sorry, I was just thinking… and-”

“Making a plan, I see,” Joe laughed. “I can sympathize with anyone who gazes at my love, he is quite the sight. But I will have to fight you if you try to take him from me, he is worth more to me than all the art ever created.”

“I wasn’t-”

“Joe, stop,” Nicky struggled to keep the smile from his face as he reprimanded his husband. “He’s kidding, Nile.” 

“Don’t worry kid,” Andy nudged her shoulder. “You could take him.” 

“Enough,” Nicky chuckled. “Nile is new to all this. How many times did Joe and I stare at you and Quynh when we first found each other? And how long did Booker sit silently glaring at us? We are ancient artifacts walking next to Nile. Leave her to process everything in peace.” 

“Sorry, Nile,” Joe was sincere in his apology. “I was only joking, you did not offend either of us. Please, go back to your thoughts, pardon my interruption.” 

“I was just… I was thinking about your outfits,” Nile didn’t know why she said it, it was like she had no control over her mouth. “All of you… you look so… modern?”

They chuckled and Joe put his arm around her shoulders, “You are one of a kind, saghirti.”

“What does that mean?” Nile asked.

At Joe’s hesitation Nicky said, “My… mio piccolo… my little one.” 

“Sister?” Andy posed her question to Joe. 

He shook his head, “Sister is 'ukht.”

Andy nodded, “My little one.” 

Nile looked confused for a moment then turned to Joe, “How did you not know?” 

“Translations change meanings,” Joe shrugged. “I know what I mean by calling you saghirti but not the words… the sentiment is you are my younger sister, friend, child and I love you. But the words are sometimes lost in translation.”

“The English we speak now is not the same as what was spoken when it first started, and for those of us who were alive before the English language existed… it’s hard to translate our native tongues to English,” Andy explained. “We often try to translate to Latin or Greek, Nicky can maybe figure out a translation to Italian if needed, and then Joe or I can usually figure out the meaning in English.” 

“That’s… a lot of work.” 

“You see now why I struggle,” Nicky chuckled, but the reaction that Andy and Joe had to his words made Nile think there was something more to it. Something far deeper and more painful than any of them had the strength to talk about right then.

They quieted after that. Nicky and Joe whispering to each other in Arabic. Andy, Nile could tell, was listening to every word he’d boys were saying. Nile didn’t have to be able to understand what the couple was talking about, she could tell the somber theme and traumatic topic by the look in Andy’s eyes and the winces she managed to suppress most of the time. 

There was a story there. One she didn’t know if she wanted to hear. 

Their moods changed when they arrived at the beach. They worked as a machine getting their “base camp” set up. Only once, when Joe called for Booker to grab the football, did they all stop and take a moment before getting back to setting everything up. 

“Go get the ball Joe, we will force Andy to play.” Nicky told his husband. 

Joe looked far too sad. Nile hadn’t yet seen him sad about Booker’s exile. She’d seen Andy with tears in her eyes after she found one of his favorite books. She saw Nicky lost and with anguish in his eyes when he called out for Booker to choose what he wanted for dinner. She’d seen both of them stare wistfully at what she assumed was Booker’s door. But the only thing she’d seen from Joe was anger. Pure rage for the man, his brother, who betrayed them and put them all in danger. Who caused Nicky’s greatest fear to come true. 

But there were tears in his eyes as he buried his face in Nickys neck and held tight. 

“Come on, let’s go get the football and some drinks.” Andy whispered as she guided Nile away from the couple. Probably to let Joe have his moment in privacy. 

“We’re they close?” Nile asked once they were out of Joe’s hearing range. 

Andy nodded, “We all were.” 

“But Joe and him?” 

“They have similar interests, mainly in football. They both come from good families who loved them and who they loved.” Andy let out a found yet slightly sad chuckled, “The three of them are little shits when we had down time. Especially when they joined Book for a drink... or several.” 

“They were friends,” Nile stated, more to herself. “And Booker betrayed them… you?” 

“Joe and Booker were best friends,” Andy agreed. “And Booker hurt Nicky.” 

“That’s why Joe is so angry at him?” 

“Yes and no.” Andy shrugged, “It’s too complicated to explain right now, but we will tell you soon. I promise.” 

“I know.” Nile nodded grabbing what they needed and starting to walk back to their camp. 

“You know?” Andy raised her eyebrow and followed her, “You know what?” 

“That you’ll tell me.” Nile shrugged, “I know if I need to know it you will tell me and if I’m just curious you guys will tell me when you can. I’m not worried about being left in the dark.” 

Andy didn’t say anything but looked pleased. 

The beach towels and chairs were all set up when they got back to the boys. Joe seemed happier as he hugged Nicky from behind. As the girls got closer, Nile started to realize that Joe wasn’t so much hugging Nicky as he was trying to pull him to the ground. 

“Wrestling already,” Andy chuckled softly. “They’re going to be a handful today.”

“You talk about them like they are your kids.”

“In some ways they are,” Andy admitted. “People used to think Nicky was my actual child.”

“But he’s not much younger than you.”

“No, but there was a time where many mothers were only fifteen years older than their children,” Andy winced at Nile’s horrified reaction. “I know. I’m pretty sure Nicky’s own mother was only thirteen when he was born.”

“That’s…” Nile didn’t know how to respond. “Was that normal? Did he have siblings? He had to have been the oldest if he did.”

“I don’t really remember, honestly,” Andy sighed. “I doubt even he does. He hasn’t spoken of his family since the first decade we had Booker, and even then… he’s never willingly spoken of his life before The Crusades.”

Before Nile could ask any more questions, they heard a yell and Andy took off running. She followed the older immortal’s lead, darting after her towards their boys. Panic threatened to rise in her chest as they ran on the sand, but she soon heard the laughter coming from Andy and stopped, digging her feet into the sand when she saw why they’d heard the scream. 

Nicky and Joe covered in sand, Joe’s hair changing color from the beige granules that coated it. Nicky looked annoyed as Joe held him down to get a better look at his eye that had been attacked by the sand. 

“Essere ancora, hayati,” Joe mumbled. “You’ve sand in your eye.”

“Sto bene,” Nicky grumbled, pushing him away. “You put it there.”

“I did no such thing,” Joe gasped.

Nile had begun to notice the immortals had been making an effort to speak in English more than anything else, even when having conversations just between each other. 

“You two are filthy,” Andy complained. “We’ve been here not even twenty minutes and you’re already covered in sand.”

“Do you feel up to playing football, Boss?” Joe asked. 

“I feel up to kicking your ass, that’s what I feel up to,” Andy smirked. “So how’re we going to do this? Girls against boys? Nico and I against you and Nile? Babies against oldies?”

“Babies?” Nile furrowed her brow and looked to Joe and Nicky who were still tangled together in the sand.

Seeing Joe’s amusement and Nicky’s annoyance she assumed it was a running joke between the immortals. 

“Am I never to be rid of being the baby?” Nicky sounded so frustrated. “I am no longer the second youngest! I am also over nine hundred years old!”

“Ah, but you are the second youngest here, habibi,” Joe chuckled.

“And you are forever my baby brother Nicolo,” Andy smirked. 

“And technically you are still the second youngest at the time of your death,” Joe pointed out. 

“Shut up, Yusuf, you are but three years older than me,” Nicky glared at his husband. “And Nile and I can take you both, easily.”

Their game was full of trash talk and insults thrown at each other in multiple languages. Everyone was surprised that Nile was such a good player, she was on the varsity soccer team in high school and played it whenever she could while serving. She was also surprised the other three immortals were such good players as well. 

The last goal of their game was scored by Nile while Joe was distracted with trying to tackle his husband again. At first, Nile was disappointed the game was over, that lasted only a few seconds because once Andy was sitting in the beach chair she started talking. 

“Are we going back to the house for lunch and to take naps and shit, and then coming back once it’s getting dark?” Andy asked, more to Nicky than to her or Joe. 

“Sì, we need firewood,” Nicky nodded, then thanked Joe for the water that was passed to him from the cooler. 

“Boss, time for more sunblock.” Joe said as he handed Andy a water. “You too, Nico.”

“Wait, we sunburn?” Nile asked. 

“We heal fast once we are out of the sun, but it is still painful,” Nicky told her. 

“Nicky spent enough time sunburned when we were first traveling together,” Joe said as his fingers found their way under Nicky’s shirt. “Off with this thing!”

“Free the nipples!” Andy shouted as she laughed. 

“Joe!” Nicky was being forced out of his shirt by his husband who had also taken it upon himself to kiss his neck as he slipped his hands a bit lower than the shirt. “It is not that kind of beach!”

“I’m just trying to prevent you from getting sun sick,” Joe pouted when he finally got the shirt off. “You are far too hot.”

Nicky rolled his eyes and threw his shirt at Joe, hitting him in the face, “Will you be able to control yourself if you put the sunblock on me?”

Joe hesitated, “I will try my best.”

“You are incorrigible,” Nicky grumbled. “Help Andy first, I will set up the umbrella.”

When he turned to grab the large umbrella, Nile got a full view of his bare back. She gasped as she looked at his pale skin. Long white slashes marked his back and shoulders. 

“Joe,” Andy warned when she figured out what made Nile gasp. 

“Oh,” He sounded sad and looked even sadder when he followed her gaze to his husband. 

Andy sighed, “I guess you’ve never seen him shirtless.”

She shook her head, “Not like this.”

Andy called to her brother with a gentle voice, “Nicky?”

He turned, the smile that was playing at his lips falling as he took in their faces, “What’s wrong?”

“La tua schiena, hayati,” Joe whispered trying to keep his voice steady. 

“Do we scar?” Nile looked around at her family. 

“No,” Andy said, her eyes locked on Nicky. 

“You only keep the scars you had before your first death,” Nicky seems the calmest and least affected out of all of them. 

“So that happened during The Crusades?” She assumed. 

“Some, maybe,” Nicky shrugged. “But most happened long before I became a priest.”

They were all quiet, letting the implications of his words sink in. Joe moved to his husband, wrapping his arms around the scarred man and burying his face in his neck. Nicky was talking to Joe, the words of an ancient language muffled to Nile’s ears as her mind supplied many gruesome and painful ways Nicky could have gotten those many scars before he was fighting a Holy War. 

“What happened?” Nile didn’t even know had spoken until Joe growled into Nicky’s bare shoulder. 

“I did not have the kindest upbringing,” Nicky lamented. “It is partially why I was so easily brainwashed into thinking killing innocent people was my god’s command.”

“The church?”

Nicky shook his head slightly, “My father was a cruel man.”

“Man,” Joe scoffed. 

“It’s okay, habibi,” Nicky kissed the side of Joe’s head. “I do not think of him much anymore.”

“He’s right,” Nile stated angrier than she thought she was. “No man could do whatever he did to give a child those scars.”

“I knew I liked her,” Andy smiled sadly. “She’s right Nicky, no matter how long it’s been it will never be okay.”

Nicky rolled his eyes and decided to just address Nile, “You’re taking this better than Booker.”

Nile’s stomach dropped as she assumed the worst of Booker’s reaction, “What did he do?” 

“He was sick,” Joe lifted his head from Nicky’s shoulder. “He couldn’t fathom a father doing what Nicky’s had done, being a father himself he could only see his own sons in Nicky’s position.”

“We had been caught in the rain, Booker and I, and we were both nearly hypothermic when we got home. Andy had us strip down while Joe made a fire and he saw my back,” Nicky spoke calmly. “He had the same question you did, but wanted the story, he wasn’t satisfied with my vagueness. So I told him.”

“He threw up the little food and alcohol he had in his stomach, and fell to his knees in front of Nicky,” Joe had tears in his eyes as he remembered that night. “Our brother cried for Nicky and his own sons and all the children who had been hurt by their parents.”

“He wouldn’t let go of Nicky that night,” Andy remembered fondly. “How long did you hold him while he cried?”

“I fell asleep,” Nicky shrugged, then chuckled. “I was warm though, I had Joe pressed to my back and Booker crying into my stomach all night, and you were using my lap as a pillow.”

“If I wanted to hear the story… would you tell me?” Nile asked, slowly. “Not now, but if- if I ever wanted to know, would you tell me?”

Nicky nodded, “I will always answer your questions, you just have to ask.”

“I don’t know…” Nile looked away from him. “I’m sorry, I just- I’m sorry.”

“There is no reason for you to apologize, sorellina,” Nicky smiled stepping forward and pulling her into a hug. “You don't need this burden.”

“I hate him,” She whispered, angry and sad tears welling up in her eyes. “I hate everyone who’s hurt you, who’s given you a scar.”

Nicky chuckled sadly and kissed the top of her head, “As much as I appreciate that, I know you don’t hate everyone who’s given me these scars.”

Her eyes narrowed at Joe and he held his hands up in surrender, “I only ever killed Nicky, I didn’t give him any scars.”

“I don’t understand…”

“There was an old, barbaric way the church had their people repent,” Joe said. “Some were taught this form of self punishment when they were very young.”

Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked up at Nicky, the shame was there on his face, clear to her that he had given himself at least some of the scars. 

“I don’t hate you,” She gasped out. 

“I know,” He smiled. 

“I don’t, I just hate that you felt you had to do this,” Nile sobbed, once again burying her face in his chest. “Please don’t ever again. I know you’ll heal but please.”

“I promise,” He hushed her, hugging her tightly. “I haven’t for decades.”

“That’s not that long compared to how long you’ve lived.”

“No, but we are all still growing, even after centuries of life,” He smiled. “Please, do not cry for me, I am still here and I now have a family who loves me.”

“You are loved, Nicolo,” Joe’s voice was louder and more confident than it had been before. “That is why I must put this sunblock on you.”

“Nile, will you please help Andy?” Nicky rolled his eyes. “My Joe will take far too long.”

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:
> 
> (Arabic)  
> saghirti: my little one  
> hayati: my life  
> habibi: darling
> 
> (Italian)  
> Essere ancora: Be still  
> Sto bene: I'm fine  
> La tua schiena: Your back  
> sorellina: little sister


End file.
